Bag-closure.



0. L. HARRlSON.

BAG CLOSURE.

APPLIQATION FILED AuG.H.-l9|5.

l 1l 910,54@ Patented July 11, 1916.

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OW'EN L. HARRISON, OF' COLETA, ILLINOIS.

BAG-CLOSURE.

Application filed August 17, 1915.

17'0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, OWEN L. HARRISON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Coleta, in the county of Whiteside and State of Illinois, have invented certain new7 and useful Improvements in BagClosures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bag closures and has more special reference to means for closing and locking the mouth of a mail bag, one object of the invention being to provide a simple and efficient structure which will facilitate the quick and easy closing and automatic locking of the bag.

A further object is to so construct closing and locking devices for a mail bag, that the mouth of the bag maybe closed and locked by pulling upwardly on lacing cords, and to provide means on said cords which will prevent them from moving lengthwise.

A further object is to provide means on the lacing cords of bag closing means,.which will operate to prevent the folds at the mouth of the bag from bulging or being pulled laterally when the mouth of the bag is closed.

lith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing the positions of the parts when the bag is open. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the mouth of the bag partly closed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the mouth of the bag partly closed and the positions which the ends of the cords will be caused to assume during the operation of closing the bag. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view showing the mouth of the bag entirely closed and locked. Figs. 5 and 6 are innerv face views of the end plates and parts carried thereby. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the stiffening ferrule and limiting device on one of the lacing cords, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view, showing said ferrule and limiting device in elevation, and their relation to the folds of the mouth of the bag.

1 represents a mail bag, the mouth por- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 111, 1946.

Serial No. 45,934.

tion 2 of which is made collapsible by folding the material back-and-forth upon itself. At respective ends of the mouth portion 2, interior metal plates 3 4 are located, and are secured to the fabric of the bag and to exterior metal plates 5 6 by means of eyelets or hollow rivets 7. The exterior metal plates may be provided at their longitudinal edges with strengthening ribs or flanges 8.

The folds of the mouth portion of the bag are arranged in two approximately parallel series 9 9 disposed between the respective end plates 3 4, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the several folds of each series are provided with eyelets 10 through which parallel lacing cords 11 pass freely. These lacing cords are preferably composed of comparatively stiff rope, such as will not readily wind upon other objects or become otherwise entangled, and they are passed freely through the eyelets 10 of the end plates, and may, if desired, be of sufficient length to project slightly beyond said end plates when the mouth of the bag is fully open, as shown in Fig. 1.

A stiffening sleeve or ferrule 12 is secured to the central portion of each cord 11, and each sleeve or ferrule is provided centrally between its ends with a limiting device 13. The latter may consist of a heavy wire pin passed through the ferrule and the cord and bent at its respective ends to form loops, which will be disposed between the central folds of the mouth of the bag. The ferrules 12 serve as guides for the folds 9 and are of sufficient length to extend through all the folds at respective sides of the mouth 2 so as to prevent any lateral bulging or displacement of said folds when the mouth 2 is closed, as shown in Fig. 4. The limiting devices 13 serve to prevent appreciable endwise movement of the cords 11 and to keep the stiffening and guiding ferrule 12 centrally located.

The end plate 3 carries a tongue 14 (which is preferably made tapering) to enter a lock 15 carried by the opposite plate 6, said tongue being provided with a hole 16 to receive the bolt of said lock. The plate 4 is provided with an inwardly projecting guiding cone 17 and the plates 4 and 6 are made with openings communicating with said guide cone, so that when the mouth of the bag is being closed, the tongue 14 will be guided accurately to the lock 15. In order to prevent undue crowding of the folds 9 los when the mouth is closed, the upper plate of the guide cone may be beveled as shownl atlS, Fig. 5.

When the bag is t0 be closed, the operator will lpull upwardly on the ends of the cords ll, (thelatter being then disposed as shown Yin Fig.` 8) and, depending solely upon the vweight of the bag and its contents, cause the vtails of construction of my invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and'hence l do not Wish to restrict myself to the preciser details herein set i f' forth.

*Y Having fullydescribed my invention what I claimas new and desire to secure by Let- Y ters-Patent, is; i

The combination with a bag having a collapsible mouth portion, of cords passing freely through said collapsible mouth portion, and limiting means carried by said cords intermediate their ends and adapted to engage said collapsible mouth portion.

2. The combination with a bag having a collapsible mouth portion comprising two series of folds, of cords passing freely through the respective series of folds, and limitingrmeans carried by said cords betvveen the central folds of the respective series of folds. Y,

' 3. The combination with a bag having a vCollapsible mouthl portion comprising two series of folds, of cordspassing through the "respective series Vof folds, and stiffening means at the intermediate portions of said cordsand adapted to extend through the series of folds, and rigid end structures secured at respective ends of the mouth portion, of cords passing freely through the respective series of folds and the rigid end structures, means secured to said cords and adapted to engage the adjacent folds for limiting endwise movement of said cords, a lock carried by one rigid end structure, and a tongue carried by the other rigid end structure and engageable with said lock.

6. The combination with a bag having a collapsible mouth portion and means for collapsing said mouth portion, of inner and o-uter plates secured at each end of said mouth portion, a lock carried by one 0f said outer plates, a guiding means carried by the adjacent inner plate, and a tongue carried by the inner plate at the opposite end of the mouth portion to be guided to the lock by said guiding means.

ln testimony whereof, l have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

OWEN L. HARRISON. Witnesses:

CYRUs H. BUSHMAN, LEWIS V. REECHER.

Copies of this patent may 'be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

